Surgery

Greetings and Salutations!

I'm really bad at keeping you guys up to date, i really apologize.

I just wanted to let you guys know that i am going into surgery this morning at 8:30 to fix my shoulder ONCE AND FOR ALL (or so i hope). so if you read this this morning between 8:30 and 10 please pray for that. if you read this after 10 then please pray for a comfortable ride back to bluffton and a speedy recovery. I will be in bluffton for a few days to recuperate. Sorry for the late notice and i greatly thank you for sticking with me through the past 5 months.

more info to come once the drugs wear off!

grace and peace,

_joel

A Change of Medium

a question i pose to you

Greetings! (and Salutations)

First! A question!

Is there a person still living would you most like to ask three (or more) questions (excluding politicians)? Who is that person and what question(s) would you ask them. If you could please respond to this message with a message or and e-mail that would be great! This can be fun or serious. It isn’t for anything directly related to PRIME but part of a little side project I’m looking into. It would really help me out if you participated in this little survey, and you are the largest group of people I have access to besides the Knox congregation and I don’t see myself getting time on Sunday for a request like this. Thanks guys.

In other news . . .

Things are going well up here over here, or wherever I am in relation to your geographic location. We are two weeks into our evangelism series and I think we are getting places. Wednesday night after Lauren’s talk, we had a group share time where we really just got down to why we (me, Lauren, and the kids) don’t evangelize. It was really encouraging to see the self-examination the kids were doing while being honest with themselves and with the group. After the meeting we were approached by several students and had some encouraging and challenging conversations! I was really pumped after that night, and I’m really excited to see what else God has in store!

Some things to pray for:

-praise for Wednesday nights!

-I’m getting more HW done. Woot! Woot! (this is an ongoing struggle, but hopefully and ongoing victory!)

-Ruth Ann is doing well. The treatment is starting to have a more heavy effect on her, nothing major or concerning it's just taking it's toll. So please pray that God give her strength both physically, mentally, and spiritually.

-I am teaching Sunday School to just the 11-12 graders (the youngins split off once a month for the membership class) So please pray for God to speak through me. I will be talking about their role as leaders both as 11-12 graders as well as ambassadors of Christ (Steve Milliken I don’t need a lecture on what leadership is!).

-last but not least, I’m going to the Michigan game this Saturday so please pray for my safety as I go behind enemy lines. If I don’t make it back, the womb is yours for keeps Justin!)

I can’t say how much your prayer really mean to me! You all are truly a blessing!

Grace and peace,

_joel

P.S.

Don’t forget to answer the question! Please!

it's been a spell but here it is!

Greetings and Such!

My dear friend and Family,

First: I must apologize for dropping the ball this summer in keeping you updated on the trips and activities I have been a part of. Second I must apologize because this is a stinking long update so if you only want to know how you can be supporting me in prayer please skip to the bottom. Thank you.

So here is a quick overview of the rest of my summer:

You have read about the Ann Arbor Trip, and some of Summer Celebration but since then we have had two other trips.

Detroit: This trip was our high school trip designed for all of our students. We head into inner city Detroit to help run a VBS that reaches 200 children from age 5-15, as well as perform renovations and improvements on the church and homes in the community. We do VBS in the morning, work projects in the afternoon and sessions in the evening. It was amazing to see what God was doing in the kids and people we were serving as well as our kids in the process of service. It was a privilege to see God working beyond planning and structure and taking things to a degree that only he can!

Knoxville: This was our more intense Jr. High trip. We went to Knoxville Tennessee with Confrontation Point Ministries for a mystery trip. A mystery trip is a trip where the kids don’t know what is scheduled from day to day. During this trip we spend time working with those our society usually ostracizes, looks down on and avoids. We worked with the elderly, working poor, homeless, and mentally and physically disabled. Along with serving others we also served each other. We camped out all week and participated in many team building exercises along with rock climbing and repelling (which was amazing!) Again God’s faithfulness was abounding in his growth of the students.

As for me this summer I was greatly blessed with seeing God work past my own efforts. I know that sounds like something I should know. But many times there is a difference between what you know and what you actually make a part of how you function. To be able to see that no matter how hard we work it isn’t our work we are doing. I find it hard sometimes not to claim a good lesson or activity for myself. But then I am humbled that anything God helps me put together is only the beginning of His work in peoples lives and sometimes, it seems even more for my own growth and direction.

More and more I am finding that God is only inviting me to be a part of His Kingdom. I am not designing it. I am not deciding that this goes here, that goes there, and we don’t need that one thing. No, any work I do is a small yet huge progression of God’s Kingdom in which he has lovingly invited me to be a part of. (preposition I know but I don’t really care J). But everything is in the process of what I was talking about in the paragraph above.

Please, this is not something discovered and a charge for all of you to see and pursue. Instead these are thoughts to be pondered, thought over and most of all prayed about.

So as I usually end a largely one-way conversation, I hope that made sense. If not then give me a ring and we can have a two-way conversation! I would love that!

Some things to pray for:

· The fall season starts up this week, which includes: Wednesday night ministry as well as Sunday school and the crazy traditions and what not.

o We are starting the Wednesday night ministry with a series on Evangelism. This is a somewhat uncomfortable topic for me to teach. (what?!? Isn’t the youth ministry major supposed to be a star evangelizer fearless in the face of doubt and tough questions?!?) Well I’m sorry to disappoint but this one is going to need some prayer as prayerfully try to guide students in respectfully and gracefully (as in full of God’s grace and not as in a ballerina) sharing the fulfillment and reconciliation of us back to our Heavenly Father.

o I am the person in charge of the High School fall retreat. You all know how God has not gifted me with natural organization. So please pray for focus and direction as there is more on my shoulders in this retreat than I have had yet on PRIME.

o For Sunday School we are looking at a series on the sayings of Jesus with the idea of looking at some of the phrases of Christ and how if we truly look at who Christ is we may not find who we may have thought we would find in the most glorious of ways (it will take some molding but I’m excited!) Lauren and I are not the sole teachers of Sunday school so if you could pray for Doug as he set up the series and does most of the teaching that would be greatly appreciated!

· I still need to stay focused on my HW. I am not officially done with my first book but still have a lot of catch up to get to where I would be comfortable. Your encouragement in staying on top of these tasks would be a blessing.

· Your prayer for Ruth Ann is greatly appreciated by both Ruth Ann and Tom. She is now in her 5^th week of radiation, so if you could please continue to pray for healing and strength as the daily radiation is a very exhausting procedure.

So that is that. I sincerely apologize for the length of this update. If you read the whole thing I owe you a Klondike bar (Klondike bar must be personally received in Ann Arbor within 5 days of reading this post for the first time. Eligibility is purely based on the honors system).

As I spend time away from those I love I am learning so much about the body of Christ both from those I am away from and those who have embraced me here. May God truly bless you with a greater passion for pursuing Him and pursueing others in His name!

may God’s grace and peace be upon you and those you encounter today.

shalom,

_joel

trip two

greetings! (and salutations!)

today we leave for trip number two. we are heading to Miami University of Ohio for a Jr High Conference called Celebration. This time will very much be like camp for these kids, just on a college campus. Also Tom (my mentor) is the lead guy on the conference, and Josh ,the associate youth pastor, is the emcee, so things are going to be pretty crazy. please pray for:
-ENERGY
-wisdom as we work with Jr High kids around the clock (this is nothing new, but always comes with it's challenges)
-the students themselves, that they may be inspired by the Holy Spirit to pursue a life dedicated to Christ.
-the leaders that God will continue to grow and work in our lives through this conference.

Again i thank you for your continued prayers. They mean more than you know! God is working here and you have a part in it! Thank you!

May we further His Kingdom by His power wherever we are!

grace and peace,

-joel

First Trip Down . . . Three to Go ! ! ! !

Greetings Friends!

On Sunday I returned from a Missions Trip to Ann Arbor. That may sound weird considering Knox is in Ann Arbor. Let me get you in on the vision of the trip:

The Ann Arbor area (and Knox) are very well off communities, so students don’t really see the needs of the city and surrounding communities. For this trip we traveled into the city and stayed at a Christian fraternity house which served as our hub as we divided into 3 teams to serve at over 12 different missions and organizations ranging from soup kitchens to pregnancy counseling centers to a boarding school for the developmentally disabled. This trip is to open the student’s eyes to those hurting and in need in their own community and to share Christ’s heart for them. It is to reveal to them the mission field they cannot retreat from. This is the mission field they live in every day.

The typical day would look like this:

6:30 – Wake up eat breakfast

7:00 – Time with God (devos focused on community)

7:30 – meet and depart for morning service

11:00 – debrief reflect on service

Noon – eat lunch

1:30 – travel to afternoon service site

5:00 – debrief reflect on service

6:00 – supper

8:00 – evening session (focusing on selflessness found in our relationship with Christ and how that ties into community)

10:00 – prep for next day’s service

12:00 – common room in the frat is closed – most kids went to bed around 10:30-11

The trip was a great success. We have a lot of follow up to do as we keep trying to help the teen’s change of perspective move into regular action!

Here are some pictures of some things we did

For one of the meals an entire teams needed to feed 8-10 people for $5. This is one of those meals. This was to give a glimpse into the life of someone who must feed a family on very little income.

Each team spent an entire day using Ann Arbor public transportation. We did this to experience what it was like to be on someone else's time the whole day. We had organizations we had to be at at certain times, if we missed the bus we couldn't serve. This was also a responsibility and team builder.

This is a group that has just finished making a meal for aprox 40 people at the Ronald McDonald House on the Medical Campus of the University of Michigan Hospital

These girls have just finished serving a meal at a local soup kitchen

Brandon is digging a hole for the sign of the community garden outside of a center dedicated to providing protection for women and children in abusive relationships as well as women who are sexually active.

These are only a few of the organizations are youth were able to serve with. We hope than many of our student will make a commitment to return and serve at some of these organizations.

My mentor’s wife had surgery last Tuesday and things are looking good. It will be a few weeks until they are able to prescribe a treatment. Please keep them in your prayers as they continue to go through this process.

Here is a picture of the Robinson Family you can put a prayer to a face. Ruthann is in the back left and going clockwise there is Tom, Molly, and Sarah.

I am continually learning from both of the youth Pastors here at Knox as we discuss and execute different plans dealing with many of the eternal grey areas of ministry. I feel so blessed to be working with people who have a passion of developing youth who are ready to deal with the real issues of the world and life and not just the Christian issues of life (aka a sheltered life of Christian brainwashing – harsh language I know).

Your prayers are felt here in Ann Arbor. God is working up here and he has a lot planned for everyone. I pray that he continues to stretch and grow me as he faithfully leads me through this time of learning.

Please keep in prayer:

• The youth that went on the Ann Arbor trip, that they will strive for a deeper understanding of everyday service in community
• This week. This week is going to be crazy as we need to:
• Finish things for a middle school conference Knox heads up at Miami University every year. We leave Monday. There will be around 250 youth total.
• Write lessons and programming for our weekly ministries here at Knox
• Plan and execute 2 prep meetings for trips coming up in a few weeks
• Start planning and writing curriculum for those trips we are having prep meetings for.
• Tom and Ruthann
• My Productivity – I’m not going to lie. It’s tough to sit, plan and write for hours at a time. Please pray that God continues to direct me with His vision for this ministry and that I do not get distracted by trivial things but that my time may be spent furthering His Kingdom every step of the way. Random I know, but that’s how my brain is right now. Also I really need to get caught up on my school work. It will be interesting how all of that unfolds over these hectic summer months.

Thank you so much for your prayers and encouragement! God has shown his faithfulness through His Church and for that may He be glorified! May you all continue being shining beacons of his grace and forgiveness and you will continue to show the world who our God truly is!

grace and peace,

_joel

first one of the summer

first missions trip of the summer! please pray for God to move, transform, strengthen and most of all be glorified! This is going to be a ride.

So here I am, two weeks since my last correspondence. A lot has happened since then. After my last post I was able to sit in on Sunday school, go on an intern retreat (there are four total interns for the youth min, two for JR. High and two for Sr. High.) At this retreat we hung out, spent some good time of individual time with the LORD and some great team time with the LORD casting a vision for the summer. WE had a great time to get to know each other and at this point I started to really see what my role at Knox is going to be. My role is pretty much that I will have a hand with everything or take over certain things all together! This, my friends, is very exciting, but at the same time a bit overwhelming. So now is the time for growth!

I have found that I am sharing the responsibility of the Wednesday night ministry with Lauren for the summer and probably through the school year. At the time being we are in the midst if planning a missions trip from scratch and a yearly trip. All off this has different things needing to be done everyday! So time management and organization are key. This is where I will grow. Not to mention learning from two men who have a God given heart for youth ministry and a passion for doing it right and not just to get by. This is going to be a crazy summer! And I’m looking forward to it.

Last Wednesday we went to Detroit to check out the church and the community we will be working in when we go in late July. We met with the pastor (who’s name escapes me) and we went around the church pointing out what needed work on and how we would be helping with VBS.

When we returned to the church Tom (my mentor) got a call telling him that his wife Ruthann had been diagnosed with breast cancer. This came in the midst of their daughter getting married in a week. Needless to say their family is going through a lot. Please keep Tom, Ruthann as well as their daughters Sarah and Molly in your prayers!

Last weekend I made my way to many to many graduation parties as well as played some sweet games with some of the guys. They guys here are pretty sweet and I’m really excited to get to know them better. Many of them have taken me in well. And for that I am grateful! I hope I can continue to start and cultivate relationships with the teenagers here.

Some things that you can continue to pray for:

• Tom and Ruthann
• I am in the middle of writing many things like devos and talks for tripps and the Wednesday night ministry. If you could pray that I seek the LORD and his truth as he uses me to impact these lives for Him!
• As I am preparing for Wednesday nights and for missions trips, please pray that I may stay focused and on task!

Thank you so much for your prayer and support. Your encouragement is truly an extension of the hand of God. Thank you.

grace and peace,

_joel

p.s. sorry it's so long, i'll update sooner next time. maybe.

One day down.......and ready to jump in!

Greetings and Salutations! Well day one is finished and I am sitting on my couch partaking in my first day off. That's right. The day after my first I have a day off. I’m already going shopping with one of the students this afternoon for an event called "The Office Reinvented" on Friday. I'm excited! Day one went well. I am happy to be working with an intern that will be here for an entire year. She just arrived yesterday and it’s nice to be going through this new stuff with someone. This other intern just so happens to be Lauren Darr, and I am very excited to be working with such an enthusiastic servant. Yesterday was a day that really energized me about being in this ministry. As we looked at the summer schedule and the different trips and events we will be doing I was able to see what was at the heart of the Youth Ministry here at Knox. It was encouraging to see an innovative and centered emphasis on equipping students to live a responsible life dedicated to growth and service in Christ. I know that sounds like what every youth ministry is about but in the description of events and trips, there was a repeated sense of purpose and focus that really showed the heart of Christ. I know these are all really surface level observations based on one day in the ministry, but I’ll just say that after day one I am extremely grateful to be here and excited to start day two! If you could please keep me in your prayers as continue to get situated. Please pray for my relationships with the kids and with the Knox staff, that the LORD will grow these relationships and myself as we begin ministry together. Thank you all so much for your prayer and support! grace and peace, _joel

The night before

as i now have finished setting up a blog it seems fitting i write my first blog post ever. So here it goes. I leave for Ann Arbor tomorrow afternoon. I'm really excited to get started but a little nervous that once things get started they won't stop. I guess that's to be expected so i guess i'm anxious to see how the beginning pans out.

As for tomorrow I leave in the afternoon to move in with my host family Scott and Marilyn McFerren. Probably the most exciting part about my host family is Rusty, their beagle! I've never had a dog before and I've always wanted a beagle! SCORE! The McFerren's seem like amazing people and i'm excited to get to know them.

I start in the office at 9am Wednesday! Weird! It's going to be fun and a little nerveracking being "initiated" into a church staff.

Well i don't know how this is as a first post but i hope it was informative for you. if you ever have any questions always feel free to e-mail me at joelreichenbach@gmail.com!

grace and peace,

_joel